HMRC’s 'Check your State Pension age' tool is available at www.gov.uk/state-pension-age/y.
The online tool allows taxpayers to check the following:
- the earliest age they can start receiving the State Pension;
- their Pension Credit qualifying age; and
- when they will be eligible for free bus travel.
The State Pension age is currently 66 years old for both men and women but will increase again from 6 May 2026 to 67 years old for those born on or after April 1960.
The Pensions Act 2014 requires the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to regularly review the State Pension age. This helps ensure that the government is able to consider the latest information to inform any future decision on the State Pension age. This review includes life expectancy and population projections, the economic position and the impact on the labour market.
The government is currently required to provide 10 years notice of changes to State Pension age, enabling people to plan effectively for retirement. It is thought that all options for increasing the rise to the State Pension age from 67 to 68 that meet the 10 years notice period will be in scope at the next review.